Interview by Charlotte Poynton
Coming to life via collaboration with London-based producer/engineer James Dring (Nilüfer Yanya, Genesis Owusu, Porches) who Merpire connected with while playing her first international shows in the UK in 2022 and who hand-picked the track to work on with her.
‘Bigger‘ builds from a nostalgic cassette-rewind sample to heartfelt indie verses, a blush-inducing surf-rock-inspired chorus, giving way to head-thrashing guitar/synth lines with all the spike, sparkle and spunk of late 00/early 10s alt-pop – also plunging further into sex and desire than the self-admittedly “horniest yet” lyrics found on lead single ‘Premonition‘ which marked Merpire’s first official new release in 4 years on Valentine’s Day, and her first time writing so openly about these themes.
With giddying peaks and heart-stopping valleys hammering home Merpire’s gift for organic dynamism that feels both alluring and slightly unsettling – with a self-directed video to match shot on Wurundjeri Country. “The most exciting song on the record for me”, Merpire says, was written / demo’d before MILK POOL (4 July) was ever conceptualised, the track’s middle 8 penned on a classic double-decker London bus on the way to her one and only IRL session with Dring: “risky but it worked!” says Merpire.
Charlotte caught up with Merpire about new music among other things last week.
